Jason Samara
Jason Hassan Samara (born May 23, 1969) is an American politician who serves as the Representative from Massachusetts' 8th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. Early Life and Education Samara was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico to an agnostic mother and a Muslim father, the latter of whom was a psychiatrist and the former of whom was a social worker. Samara’s father was tragically killed in a car accident when his son was only 2, and the young Jason would move with his mother to Massachusetts to stay with her mother for a number of years until she remarried a decade later. Jason went to public school in Boston for his primary and secondary education, and he would grow up often hearing about his family's involvement in the civil rights movement, as 2 of his uncles had marched with MLK. Throughout his teens he was active with numerous groups supporting social issues, even working with the Nation Of Islam for a short period before graduating high school. Samara attended Columbia University in New York City, majoring in Political Science with a large focus on International Relations. Pre-Political Life and Career After college, Samara found work as a writer and researcher for various research groups in the Northeast. He would eventually marry his high school sweetheart after returning to Boston, and while not raised in a religious household, he would begin to attend Baptist church semi-regularly with his wife. Samara became known for his involvement with community service and youth outreach in Boston. He founded found a job training program, a college preparatory program, and a tenants rights organization before age 30. Political Career Massachusetts House (2002 - 2006) In 2002, Samara was be elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives. During his time there he would successfully push for reforms to healthcare and ethics, expand tax credits for low income workers, and increase welfare and subsidies for children. He would also sponsor a number of bills to combat racial profiling and police force abuses, and was a strong supporter of the LGBTQ community. Career Boost and 2006 Congressional Campaign Samara became a household name following a rally he held in opposition to the Iraq War in 2003. While this move was initially detrimental to his career, as public opinion turned against the war he was viewed with increasing levels of popularity. In 2006 he ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives, and while Samara expected an "easy victory", his primary opponent had other things in mind, starting what would begin to manifest into a number of vicious rumors that damaged the candidate. An article would be run in a local paper saying Samara would be the first Muslim in the House of Representatives if he won, and Islamophobia at the time inflicted a serious blow to his campaign. Jason was forced to distance himself from the Nation Of Islam and a number of its leaders while consistently denying he was a Muslim himseld. Rumors also spread that Jason was not actually an American citizen because he was born in Puerto Rico. Samara went on to lose the primary, but ended up becoming a key member of Democratic Governor Solomon Gaines' administration. Governor's Office From 2007 - 2010, Samara was tasked with heading the governor's various education initiatives. He successfully campaigned in the legislature and received a historic amount of funds for Massachusetts schools, introducing legislation that tackled the education gap among minority students and winning the National Race to the Top competition. 2010 Congressional Campaign, Early Focus, and 2012 Redistricting Campaign In 2010 he ran again for the House of Representatives 9th district and won, becoming the first African-American to represent Massachusetts in the chamber, though the rumors would inevitably arise every election cycle regarding his faith. His first bills focused on immigration reform, partnering with a elder respected democratic rep John Bauer who would become a mentor to Jason before Bauer’s retirement in 2012. After redistricting in 2012 decided to run in the newly redrawn Massachusetts's 8th congressional district in the 2012 election and easily win both the primary and general election Legislative Achievements and Focus Samara has sponsored several bills designed to limit the activities of the NSA and is known for speaking at length about the infringement of civil liberties in the name of national security, his defense of Muslims against racial profiling, and his denouncement of the Patriot Act fueled the rumors of his Muslim roots. Additionally, he was a primary voice sponsoring the violence against women act, and a number of initiatives to increase gender equality. Other major focuses of his congressional tenure have been welfare reform, consumer protections, raising corporate taxes, providing affordable (not free) college, formulating single payer healthcare to replace Wisntoncare, globalization, LGBTQ rights, Abortion Rights, and housing reform. He has also introduced a few bills and initiatives meant to combat bullying, internet harassment and teen suicide. In 2014 he began to focus heavily on bringing manufacturing jobs to his state and district through lobbying while remaining staunchly pro-labor often introducing legislation designed to go after those he saw responsible for the recession and who were generally exploitative of the American Public. Since his election he has made 6 trips to the middle east, 4 to Afghanistan, 1 to Iraq and 1 to Pakistan. The primary purpose was to ensure accountability in reconstruction projects and to generally check the status and well being of American Troops. Samara enjoys a slightly above average approval rating and a very low disapproval rating. Samara notably voted against the RLSA, the WAC, and the BBA Support for Albert Winston Samara was a strong supporter of Winston in both general elections, holding a number of rallies for him and frequently appearing on news programs as a defender of the administration. According to former Winston staffers, on 3 separate occasions he was considering for a position in the Winston cabinet. His support for Winston would continue until the President's perceived mishandling of the Dudley strike and the various scandals plaguing Winston’s final years in office. Committee Placements Jason is on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Small Business and Financial Services Committees and is the leading democrat of the committee on education and the workforce. Samara is also the Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus after most members left to join the Progressive Party, and a prominent member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Senatorial Bid In June of 2017, Representative Samara announced his intent, via a rally in Boston, to run for the presumed Senate vacancy to be opened by the announced, but not finalized, resignation of Senator Alexander Breckenridge, the second candidate to announce after Kristen Stevenson. Samara received praise from several Democrats, including DNC Chair Norris Vilseck and former Senator Josephine Stafford, following his announcement. Samara received some criticism under the #JasonSamaraRewrites hashtag for language in his speech criticizing Republican rhetoric using the terms 'liberty' and 'freedom.' The language would be removed from subsequent stump speeches. Samara embarked on an aggressive campaign strategy, completing nearly two dozen campaign stops in a short period of time within the state, though receiving criticism for taking time from Congressional duties to campaign. Samara countered by pointing out he introduced more bills and co-sponsored more legislation than almost any other member of Congress, and had not missed a single vote since announcing. Samara received some criticism from an proposed peace agreement between Israel and Palestine that would involve the "relocating" of one hundred thousand Israeli settlers. Samara has also frequently criticized Hamas as a terrorist organization, and that they needed to renounce violence as a tactic before peace could be achieved. While campaigning, Samara adopted a dog, "Buster", from the Berkshire Human Society. During his Senatorial run, Samara held a joint rally with Secretary Tony Schlang in New Jersey, endorsing his candidacy for Governor. Samara had feuded with Mayor Joh Stansky on Twitter, on matters of healthcare and grammar. Stansky would later endorse Samara in his Senate campaign but it was immediately rejected by Samara due to Stansky's perceived anti-semitism. Samara announced that he would not accept any donations from PACs who did not disclose all donors donating more than $2,700 at a town hall rally in Brookline. Personal Life When once accused of being too liberal, Samara replied “I'm moderate by Massachusetts standards”. Despite this, Samara is widely characterized as progressive and very liberal. According to congressional staffers, he is a talented singer and goes to karaoke nights when possible. Samara married his wife, Jennifer, prior to his election to the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He has three daughters, Rachel, Elizabeth, and Gabrielle, of ages sixteen, thirteen, and eight, respectively. Electoral History Massachusetts 8th Congressional District Democratic Primary, 2006 Massachusetts 9th Congressional District Election, 2010 Massachusetts 8th Congressional District Election, 2012 Political Positions Samara is generally considered to be a politically liberal or "progressive" democrat. 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